What is the strangest thing you've ever experienced?

Originally posted by xstealth


We soon moved out of the house, and I've never experienced anything strange since then 20 something years.

When I was like 3-4 years old, I remember trying to sleep, and then I saw a clown hand come out of the wall all the way up to me and started tickling me, it was creepy, lol.

I don't know if it was real or a dream.

I've had so many I lost count long ago, but this is one of my favorites:

I lived in Oregon in the late eighties--when computers were just catching on for business use. My job was eliminated due to the technology. The government, at around the same time, started a program to help displaced workers find new jobs. It was highly specialized. Not just anyone could participate, and the program was all but unknown to the public. You were screened and placed; put through a series of training sessions, then you went out to get a job.

I got very good at it; was offered practically every job I went for. There was one in particular for an airline that was moving into the area. They had eight positions they wanted to fill. The economy was so bad, close to 400 applied. I went in for the initial interview--panel format, myself and four others in front of three men. They chose me..without interviewing..at ALL! The third of the three men called out from the kitchenette--take the one with the blue eyes..if you don't hire her..I will. He never asked me even one question.

Later on, after the interviews were over, I got a call to come in for a second. These guys, from all over the region..ALL of them..all but begged me to come to work for them. It was the oddest thing I'd ever seen professionally. We finished up. I went back to the program center..where I'd taken the training. This place was closed to the public. Only those involved with the program were permitted in. I got myself a cup a coffee; sat down to think about what was happening; what to do with it.

About then, this tall, handsome--older man comes in; chats with the secretary, and a friend of mine; gets himself a cup of coffee and asks to join me. I'd never seen him before; said..sure. He calls me by name; says..I hear you're up for the airline job. I think you should take it. You would make an excellent flight attendant..and would go far with this company. I said something about how I didn't think I was suited for it. He says..oh no..you would be great. I used to be a pilot; you're the kind they look for.

We chatted a bit; he said he had to be going. That was the last I saw of him. That afternoon, the people from the airline called me with MORE offers. I turned the job down. Next morning I go back into the training center..where I visited with the gentleman the day before; saw a friend of mine..who coordinated the program, and told her about my visit. She looked at me..blank; said..there is no one in the program that fits that description. ?? Really? Then who was he? We went over to where the secretary was sitting; the one I saw him talk with; asked her if she remembered the incident. She said..yesterday was Tuesday..I work for the college that day--I wasn't here.

???

The girl I saw him visit with the day before was there too; we talked with her; she said..she was on interviews all day that day..she didn't come in either.

Not only..did I see someone..no one else saw but..I saw and talked to people that day..SEVERAL..that said..it didn't happen. They weren't even..there.

I am trying to read this thread and it keeps getting longer. So I figured I would first post my story then finish the reading. I have had a lot of paranormal strangeness, but I have to say the strangest thing that ever happened to me was not paranormal. Ok here it goes. One of my friends was taking the ASVAB test as she was wanting to be in the Air Force. She asked me to sign up for the test with her as a friend to keep her company. She wasn't even really one of my real close friends, in fact I can destinctly remember her face clothing, everything, but not her name. Anyway it was like a half day of being excused from classes, so of course I said Ok what the heck it gets me out of half a day of school. I figured I'd take the test and that's it...but then the calls came in First the Army then the navy then the marines then the air force, I was like WTF I don't want to enlist right. The Army however they would not give up, they called basically every day until I caved in. Only to bring me up to Pennsylvania(I was living in NJ then) To some building they used for recruits to be tested. You know the drug testing etc.. well I went through all the normal things with a group I guess of about five of us. Then I was singled out when everybody else was told to go home. I was like oh no, I peed dirty right(Yeah I was doing marijauna at that time or near close enough to then) Well I thought I was going to be told that I would be unable to proceed with enlisting.Hell I hoped I was right. But, nope I was wrong. They took me into this room with 5 very serious looking high officers and they asked me did I cheat on the ASVAB. I said No why the heck would I want to do that? I didn't even want to enlist and then I explained how they kept calling till I finally caved. Well, they said we want to see you test again the one part that you scored really high on is our engineering part, so that's the only part you'll have to take. maybe a hour for you to finish(it's a timed test), It may have been a half hour not too sure as it was so long ago. Anyway alone in this room I took the test again while they sit and watched me take the test. They were/nt kidding about wanting to watch me take the test again. Mostly it was a series of numbers that you would have to complete like what's the next in the series of numbers by figuring out how they were spaced for instance 3003 3006, the next would be 3009 you get the idea just one problem after another like that, nut most of them were not as easy as the sample I put here. Anyway, I finish and they mark it while I am standing there! I thought you know they'd do it later after I left, no they made me sit there, I had been there through dinner hungry thirsty, etc and nobody offered me anything at all to snack on or drink. And I was wanting a cig real bad I was a bit peeved! Anyway after they all came back looking at me like they found some billion peice puzzle that they needed to put together. They asked me how I think I did. I don't know I said. They said you even scored higher than the first time. How did you do it....blag blah blah. Well needless to say they were scratching their heads, and so was I. After all I didn't know anything about engineering, I am good with patterns which I think this is what the numbers were supposed to gauge, butI don't know how that really pertains to engineering? So any insight into that would be appreciated. But anyway they then started to want to get me into engineering as my skill. I didn't know what that entailed and it sounded kind of dull to me. What's weirder is that they told me I could make large sums of moey that I would be an officer right out of AIT etc. I didn't think that engineering bridges sounded that exciting(this is one of the things they gave me as a job description. Maybe If I hadn't been so stubborn about it, I would've ended up someplace like area 51? Who Knows. But I chose to stick to the medical field as it was my plan to be a nurse.

Continued from my previous thread, The reason they didn't convince me to change my skill request is because they seemed to me to be not telling me everything that the job entailed and I was suspicious about them wanting me to help make bombs or something. Something I would never want to take any part in at all. At that time of course I knew nothing about UFO's or Area 51 So That never even occurred to me until later when I saw things on area 51 where that engineer was talking about reverse engineerring a UFO. ANd then I thought well... Maybe that's what they were not telling me and really what they wanted me to do. At least it's juat a thought I like to entertain.

reply to post by Charlotte313


I really liked this account, as well as your writing style. I found it very interesting to say the least. And I was almost certain that at the end I would find that you turned down the job and the plane crashed, or something. But how your story ended was even stranger than that.

Well done and thank you for sharing. Cheers.

reply to post by ldyserenity


It is interesting to wonder how things would be different if we'd only made the other decision at one of lifes many crossroads. If you had made the other choice and ended up at area 51, you'd still come on here and tell us about it right? So did you become a nurse?

Thanks for taking the time to write it out for us. And thanks very much for the flag, too.

Anyone interested in joining a group psi projection experiment? By that I mean that the group would concentrate on a specific goal. If you're interested, u2u me and I'll explain all about it. I don't want to post the details because I've already tried to find people and been slapped on the wrist by ATS moderators for it.

Originally posted by Static Sky
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

It is interesting to wonder how things would be different if we'd only made the other decision at one of lifes many crossroads. If you had made the other choice and ended up at area 51, you'd still come on here and tell us about it right? So did you become a nurse?

Thanks for taking the time to write it out for us. And thanks very much for the flag, too.

Oh I am quite sure that everyone would have heard from my lips the truth if I had been out there. Lol. Maybe that's why I didn't go for that offer to be an engineer cause if I had spoken by now I'd be dead Actually the army must have been really ticked at me cause I pretty much waited on the nursing course list the entire time I was in the reserves. So sadly, no; I never became a nurse but did work in the field for years. Now I am looking into alternative healing courses and may become an alternative healer, who knows? You're welcome for the flag I still don't know how to give stars?

Ok, here are a couple strange ones...

1. When I a was a young kid I was at my grandparents house and my uncle was out on my grandpa's John Deere Tractor tilling the field getting ready to plant hay. This was an old Diesel Tractor, a big one, not a lawn tractor. Anyways, my uncle comes into the house dragging my grandfather (who is in his sixties at the time) who is alert but seem to have no strength in his body. My uncle proceeds to tell us that as he was tilling the field he got to close to the ditch and flipped the tractor and was pinned under it. My grandpa must have saw this happen, runs over to the tractor, lifts it off of my uncle with one hand and pulls him out with his other hand. Once my uncle was out of harms way my grandfather collapsed. He was bed ridden for a week before he got his strength back. Adrenaline Rush? Pretty crazy though.....

2. When I was about 6 or 7 I had a dream that I woke up and went down stairs to get breakfast. I get a bowl and grab the Cheerios to find that it is empty. So I grab the next box of cereal, Golden Grahams and poor it into my bowl, emptying the box of cereal. I then go to get milk only to find that the jug is empty. I get really mad and then I wake up. As soon as I wake up I go downstairs to get breakfast..... And I live out the exact events that I had just dreamed about.

3. My dad was a minister at our local congregation and had been studying the Bible with a man and his wife for about two months. One night we get a call at 1:30AM and it wakes everyone in the house up. My dad gets on the phone and the wife is screaming that she needs help because something has lifted (and suspended) her husband about four feet above the bed. My Dad says a prayer with them over the phone and the man is released and falls back into the bed. The couple was so scared by this event that they called my Dad the next day and said that they no longer wanted to study the Bible. It always seemed to me that they made the opposite choice than what most people would, but to each their own I guess.

reply to post by WhiteHorse


Excellent offerings, WhiteHorse. The Grandfather story is the second account on this thread of amazing strength being used to lift extremely heavy objects in panic moments.

As for the dream coming true when you woke up, this has happened to me, too. On a few occasions. It's always a spooky feeling for me.

I was unemployed and 22 and had a dream on a Thursday night, where I was working at this little gas station I bought smokes from, down the street. (I'd seen the people working there but didn't know any of them. I had a bit of a crush on this one girl who worked there, but couldn't work up the courage to talk to her).

In my dream, she was my girlfriend, they were all my friends and we were all really happy to be there. (They were all around my age). The dream was maybe the most vivid and real feeling, I've ever experienced.

Friday night rolls around and my buddy calls me to go to the club with him, like usual on Friday nights back then. I told him I'd run to the store to grab smokes and he could pick me up there.

I'm a few minutes from my house and was thinking about the dream. For some reason, I felt I had to turn around and go grab a copy of my resume. Strange because I didn't think I'd like to work at a gas station at all, but what have I got to lose, right?

I go back, grab a resume and make my way down to the gas station. When I get there, the girl I like sees my as she's doing someones windshield and gives me a little smile. She'd never done this before. I go inside and buy my smokes. I ask the girl behind the counter if they were hiring. She tells me, "That depends".

I asked what she meant by that and she explains that another girl who worked there might be getting let go for being too unreliable, but the boss hasn't said for sure yet. I gave her resume and my buddy pulls up. We hit the club.

I got home at about 3:30 AM and was pretty trashed. There's a note on my bedroom door saying the gas station called and they want me there for training at 6:30 AM. I went upstairs, made coffee, forced myself to eat as much as I could, had a cold shower and did some excersize for about half hour. Then I went to work.

It was only 2 months before I started dating the girl I liked. The job was so much fun, because we all became great friends and always went out after work. It was everything the dream showed me. It was the best year of my life up to that point, too. Near the end of the year, the girl broke up with me, (only time I've ever been the one dumped, not dumping), then the boss sold the station and we all went our seperate ways. We all vowed to stay friends but over time, it faded. I still smile when I think about it all.

PS; Welcome to ATS, WhiteHorse. Thanks for posting and I hope you enjoy your time here. Cheers.

I have a couple experiences, which I have shared on a separate thread. But I will share them now:

1. It was either the day before, day of, or day after my grandma's funeral. My entire family was sitting down for breakfast when the top of the milk cap began to lift off the gallon of milk go about 8 inches into the air and land perfectly on top of the gallon. This happened quite a few times.

2. I was younger, and I was cleaning up my basement. It was in the morning and no one was up yet, I wanted to surprise my parents. I picked everything up off the floor, and I had organized these books on a shelf. As I rounded the corner and began heading up the stairs i suddenly heard all the books just drop on the floor. It was really loud. So, I walk over to the books and I see that there was absolutely NOTHING on the floor anywhere. Needless to say I ran up the stairs.

3. Again, this is around the time of my grandma's death, caused by lung cancer. My mom was a smoker and my dad had cleaned the ashtray by hand the night before. He put it next to the drying rack sitting like an ashtray would sit. The next morning at about 7 am i got up to eat breakfast. I went to get cereal (I was the only one up) and as I passed through the kitchen towards the pantry (walk-in pantry) the ashtray flipped over all on its own. I of course ran away.

4. My friend and I found this old huge bible my mom had passed down from ancestors (I don't know whose it was). Anyways, it is enormous, and we were looking through it when we found a picture. We began looking at the picture talking about it, then we put it back in the bible and shut the bible. At the exact moment the bible closed, the TV in my room (which was on) shut off on its own.

5. My friends and I were hanging out one night (they lived right behind my house) when we saw a whole bunch almost planes just flying in circles over three houses in their subdivision. There was like 10 or 15. We got their dad, and he saw the same thing.

6. My friend (same people) was home alone one night when he heard a box in his basement fall. They had these moving sized boxes on these enormous shelfs (so big that with the big box on their a full grown person could squeeze behind the box if it was placed on the center of the shelf). Anyways, he heard the a box fall, he went downstairs to see what fell, nothing had. 30 minutes later his phone rings, its static with a voice in the background mumbling. About an hour later, he heard something fall down his upstairs to the landing on the middle floor. He described it as if it sounded like his dog falling down the stairs, I believe he said his dog was with him at the time, anyways I know it was somehow impossible for it to be his dog. Anyways he rounded the corner nothing was there. 30 minutes later, he got the same staticy phone call. Another hour later he heard something on his patio outside, and then the phone rang again, same phone call. The phone calls continued later on, no more that day though. He would generally get them when he would come home from school, as he was the first one home. They would be on his answering machine.

7. The same friend was playing sega in his brothers room, when the stereo would just suddenly turn on to song number 6 (which as "the world is a vampire" by Smashing Pumpkins). Eventually I came over, it happened two more times while I was in the room. We would make sure the power was turned off and everything. It was weird.

8. When I was like 3 my brother convinced me that jumping in the drier would be like going on a roller coaster. So I did, he turned it on, and I started screaming. Anyways, I went through the back vent of the dryer and was standing before a man with a white beard. I asked him if he was Santa Claus, he said, yes no go back. At that moment the drier was stopped and my parents were pulling me out.

9. The same friend, his mom when she was growing up they lived in this house of this old sailor. Anyways, her and her brother and sister used to go up to the attic and play on this chair that spun around. One time they were spinning the sister then the chair started spinning itself and really fast. Finally the sister got off and they all ran away. Same house, the little boy was downstairs getting milk in the middle of the night. She said the stairs were the sort where you could see all the way up to the attic (which is where the chair was) anyways as he went back to bed he looked up and he saw this pirate smiling at him signaling him to come up with his finger.

10. Again, this same friend and the same house with the things crashing, whenever he would be in his basement he would hear his piano play a couple of keys, which was on the middle floor. He told his dad, who sleeps in the basement, and he said he heard the same thing all the time. He then revealed to him that when myself, my friend (his son), his wife, and my mom were on vacation and he was the only one home, he would hear all sorts of weird things, including his toliet flush on its own, and he ran upstairs saw it flushing but didn't know how it happened.

I had more as I was reading this thread but alas they have escaped me. I had more that actually involved me, that is. Btw, this friend is my best friend and when these things happened he would call me crying and telling me. He wasn't lying, his house had a very eirey feeling to it.

reply to post by Ryanp5555


Hi Ryanp5555. Great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

Sorry to hear about your Grandma. And between you and me, I think your friend should probably move.

Some of the strangest things I've 'experienced' have been in dreams, but as far as reality goes, then I would have to say the two incidents where I am confident I saw a UFO(s)...one occurred in Texas and one in Washington state. I would hope to see another.

Originally posted by Static Sky
reply to post by Ryanp5555

 

Hi Ryanp5555. Great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

Sorry to hear about your Grandma. And between you and me, I think your friend should probably move.

They did move like 2 years ago.

reply to post by Ryanp5555


Any odd things happen since? That house sounds like the perfect place for one of those 'ghost hunter' shows to go check out. I would love if somehow the whole spirit thing could somehow be scientifically verified. It would make me have to rethink my whole belief system. And I enjoy a challenge.

Originally posted by Static Sky
reply to post by Ryanp5555

 

Any odd things happen since? That house sounds like the perfect place for one of those 'ghost hunter' shows to go check out. I would love if somehow the whole spirit thing could somehow be scientifically verified. It would make me have to rethink my whole belief system. And I enjoy a challenge.

I mean he had some other weird, but explainable things happen. For instance his brother said that when he was cleaning the downstairs bathroom he put this candle on the center of the toilet top where it goes, turned around to clean the sink and then heard it crash to the ground and shatter. Looked and it had fallen off to the left of the toilet. I'd have to ask him again, but he has since moved to California, although that was to clear his own head b/c his brother goes to Stanford Medical School. His parents simply moved closer to our local train station. As far as anything since, I don't know the people who live there. And as far as Ghost hunters, I don't know, they lived there for 20+ years and there were only a few paranormal things. The house with the sailor is where the ghost hunters should go, that would be absolutely terrifying. It wasn't every day, at their house it was on and off. Mainly it happened to him and his father. Although his sister claims that she used to see a shadow of a man on her wall opposite her windows waving to her from outside. She said she would check it and there was nothing there, keep in mind though there was a tree directly in front of her window. But yes, the house itself definitely was eirey.

Originally posted by excelents
As mentioned I have had many odd experiences and reading about others sleep disorders etc heres mine (when the experience occurs).

The experience always occurs to me when its near sleep and for whatever reason without me realising I have tricked my brain into thinking I am asleep but I am not yet I am somewhere between.

There is a place that I can visit, I use the phrase visit as if I have a choice but its more like i'm forced there not by anything / entity just that when I realise where I am I know its the place.

The place is here or my immediate surroundings outside of my house or close by however it is completely in darkness and the best way to describe it is when theres a power cut and everything about your familiar humdrum surroundings suddenly take on a slightly nervous feel.

I can see across the road and other buildings and on occasion see other humanoid shapes / people who seem to be able to do extraordinary feats / skills (on one occasion one humanoid appeared to be carrrying a grand piano on its back) now you could say "ah well that was a dream" and yes I could reason and look at it logically however I have been to this place on several occasions.

It doesn't so much scare me as makes me nervous when I realise where I am. I have since the early 1990's when I noticed this have also felt a prescence / weight on top of me pushing me down (on the edge of sleep) and on each and every occasion I have literally had to place both hands flat beneath my chest and physically like doing a push up at the gym pushed back and on each occasion have won the battle.

An interesting event happened the last time whilst in the place I took hold of the situation a little more as I have become accustomed to the place although of course I got a little more scared however I knew I wasn't asleep and also aware of the prescence pushing down on me.

I said to my GF in bed "you have to help me I can't get back out just yet" (indicating i wasnt in trouble just ready to be pulled out) She said my name several times as she wasn't the most level headed person (we have since split) so I told her again "just be ready to shake me when I tell you" she shook me of course and again I said "wait" I forget what happened next but at that point it was sufficient for me to leave the place and asked her to shake me which she did and I was "awake" throughout all these experiences though I have never felt or been paralysed like others have mentioned and yes I have also felt the catlike crawl across the bed of the prescence (as I own a cat) however when I feel the weight pushing down it is extremely heavy and larger than a cat and seems to cover my entire back region.

I sleep on my front I wish I could sleep on my back but I get nightmares when I do that so go figure !

This reminded me of this story:
paranormal.about.com...
There was another good one but I can't find it just now.

Hmmm it's funny how some people live an entire life without seeing anything paranormal and other see 4/5 incidents.

I have all but given up on seeing something that couldnt be explained and the acid test for me was when I lived in student halls which used to be an old persons home before that and a mental asylum before that.....

It had been established about 100 years so I guess lots of people died there and there was numerous times when I was alone in the building with 49 rooms and numerous shared areas and never heard, saw or even suspected anything paranormal.....

reply to post by Jukiodone


I think a lot of it has to do with how we perceive strange happenings. And most of that comes down to what we, as individuals truely believe.

For instance, earlier in the thread I described how the hot water tap in our bathroom simply turned itself on, full stream, 3 seperate times. Always when either my wife or I were there, alone in the bathroom. We never found it running upon entering the bathroom, so it never happened when we weren't there. And it never happened when we were both there.

My wife does believe in angels and spirits, and she holds that it's her Grandfather saying hi. I am an atheist and although I agree it's a very strange thing, I tend to think that there has to be a logical explaination for it, even if I don't know what that might be.

reply to post by Static Sky


Interesting. So, if you began to believe in ghosts or demons or whatever, would you then change your mind as to there being a God b/c that means there is life outside these physical bodies? Its also very interesting that you don't believe in God, or even these happenings, yet you made a post about and have had paranormal experiences throughout your life, not saying you don't just saying its interesting.